Stacking carriers



Aug. 2, 1955 M. c. SHERMAN STACKING CARRIERS Original Filed Sept. 15,1950 FIG-.2

FIG-.3.

FIG. 4.

INVENTOR.

- Sher-man.

Mg iunll M/ United States Patent STACKING CARRIERS Milton C. Sherman,Coral Gables, Fla.

3 Claims. (Cl. 22097) This invention relates to stacking carriers andmore particular has for its primary object to provide article carrierswhich are stacked one upon another in a partly nested relationship andto provide for a flexibility between superposed carriers so as toprotect articles therein from damage due to jarring or vibration duringtransportation. This application is a division of my application forMeter Carriers, filed September 15, 1950, Serial Number 185,059, and nowabandoned.

A further object is to provide the upper portions of the side walls ofeach carrier with inset flexible marginal flanges which will engagewithin the side walls and engage in the raised bottom wall of the nextcarrier above it when a number of carriers are stacked, and to provide acover which is received by the upper inset flexible marginal flanges ofthe upper carrier. Such flexible portions, while holding the nextcarrier above in position, are so formed as to yield to jolts bothlaterally and vertically While stacked carriers are in transit and yetnot transmit severe shocks to the articles placed in the carriers.

Another object is to form such carriers of comparative ly light sheetmetal, such as aluminum, with the parts secured together so that thereare no projecting elements on the outer sides of the carrier.

Further objects and advantages of my invention will appear in detail inthe following description, taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawing, forming part of this specification, and illustrating apreferred form of carrier which has proven highly satisfactory inpractice.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a carrier in accordance with myinvention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view thereof.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view thereof takensubstantially on line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a detail perspective view of an upper corner of the carrier.

Fig. 5 is a fragmeentary vertical sectional view taken through sides ofa number of the carriers illustrating the cooperation of the carriers instacking and further showing a cooperating cover member for the uppercarrier of the stack.

Referring to the drawings, the carrier in accordance with my inventionis rectangular in shape and includes a rectangular bottom wall and fourupright casing side walls 11 preferably of sheet metal. As shown thebottom wall 10 is provided with marginal downwardly extending flanges12, which engage the casing side walls 11 a short distance above theirlower edges and are secured at spaced points 13 as by riveting orpreferably spot welding, for rigidly holding the bottom wall and sidewalls with respect to each other. Securing the bottom wall above thebottoms of the side walls provides a space at the bottom of the carrier,defined by the bottom wall and its flanges 12 and the lower marginalportions of the side walls, which constitute depending peripheralflanges below the bottom wall, into which inwardly offset upper marginal flanges 14 of another similar carrier may be received. Thus anydesired number of such carriers may be stacked one upon another as shownin Fig. 5. Likewise, as shown in Fig. 5, a cover 15 may be positionedover the flanges 14 of the upper carrier. Such a cover renders thecarrier or entire stack of carriers weatherproof.

As stated, the upright side walls 11 are formed of sheet metal, with theflange 14 along the upper edge of each side wall inset in a manner topreferably provide a first or lower section 16 integral with itsrespective wall and flared inwardly and upwardly therefrom; a second orintermediate section 17 integral with section 16 and extendingvertically therefrom; and a third or upper section 18, integral withsection 17 and flaring upwardly and inwardly therefrom, as shown in Fig.4. At each corner of the carrier, the ends of the flanges 14 are cutaway to provide gaps 19, so that the flanges will be free of each other,separated by the gaps, and thus be afforded flexibility laterally andvertically, capable of absorbing shocks or jarring when stacked carrierwith a large number of articles therein, such as electric meters notshown in the drawings, are being transported. The arrangement, with theflaring sections of these flanges 14, provides a telescoping top edgewhich facilitates positioning of upper carriers thereon in stacking thecarriers and when in position closely engages the interior surface ofthe bottom wall of the carrier stacked thereon as indicated in Fig. 5.These flanges 14 being flexible absorb lateral shock due to theirflexibility and the fact that the bottom wall 10 of a carrier stackedthereon is entirely supported by the upper edge of these flanges 14,vertical jarring of the stacked carrier will also be absorbed.

The side walls of the container are in the example shown, formed from ablank of sheet metal with cut outs defining the gaps 19 at the corners.The blank is bent to the rectangular formation shown and one end thereofis provided with a vertical flange extension 20 bent at right angles soas to engage the interior of the side portion at the other end of theblank, along its marginal edge, to which the extension 20 is secured,preferably by spot welds 21, after which the bottom wall 10 is securedin place as above set forth.

The flanges 14 are each of a height in excess of the height of thedepending peripheral flange below the bottom wall 10, of the carrier asshown in Figs. 3 and 5, so as to be received within the dependingperipheral flange of another carrier stacked thereon and with its upperedge in supporting engagement with the under face of the bottom wall ofthe superjacent carrier. Thus a principal object of the invention iscarried out, that is, to provide for a flexibility between superposedcarriers, the upper of which, in effect rides upon the upper marginalportions of the flanges 14, of the subjacent carrier, and not upon thebottoms of the flanges 14.

It will be seen that in this construction the major side wall portions11 define the outer peripheral surface of the containers beyond whichthere are no projections even when several of the carriers are stackedand the cover 15 is positioned on the upper inset marginal flanges 14thereof.

In use of such carriers, the arrangement of the bent inset upper flanges14 has the further advantage in that in stacking of carriers, when acarrier is positioned over another, it is guided into position by theupper portions 18 thereof. In rough handling of the carriers a flange 14may be bent outwardly but in view of its shape it will be received inthe bottom of a superjacent carrier, or the cover 15, positioned over itand will be forced back into its normal proper position. With the endsof adjacent flanges 14 separated by the gap 19 such is suflicient toprovide the slight movement of the flanges with respect to each otherwithout having adjacent upper corners coming into engagement during anynormal flexing move ments of these flanges.

I claim:

1. A rectangular stacking carrier including four vertical side walls,and a bottom wall secured to said side rier, said flanges of the sidewalls providing means for stacking several carriers one above the other,with the 15 bottoms of superposed carriers resting upon said flanges andallowing flexing of said flanges of the side walls to absorb shockbetween stacked carriers.

2. A stacking carrier as specified in claim 1 in which said flanges atthe upper edges of the side walls are each of a height greater than thedistance between said bottom Wall and the lower edges of said sidewalls.

3. A stacking carrier as specified in claim 2 in which each of saidflanges of each of said side walls comprises a first section integralwith its respective side wall flared inwardly and upwardly therefrom, asecond sectionintegral with said first section and extending verticallytherefrom, and a third section integral with said second section 10 andflared inwardly and upwardly with respect thereto- References Cited inthe file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,420,992 Ericson June 27,1922 2,093,926 Pratt Sept. 21, 1937 2,513,709 Blackwell July 4, 19502,610,756 Best Sept. 16, 1952

